Story:Alto/Chapter 5
“Ample forest and rich mines, but none state claim?” Barbarus laughed at Delta's explanation of this strange village. “The villagers there call it home, and I am among their senate. Is that not making a claim?” Delta asked. He wondered if Barbarus could hear the annoyance laced in his voice. Feel it beneath his mask. The two, alongside Roland, stood in a small, firelit room with a square table between them. Two maps exist -- one on the table and one on the wall -- both depicting the same desert. Yet only the one on the table has a town nestled in the forest. It is drawn in crudely compared to the rest of the map, a separate entity from what the cartographer intended. But, for what little space there was to work with, it is quite detailed. The rings of the town preserved and the tower made prominent. “Dull.” Roland finally spoke up. The two turned to him, one confused and the other with masked curiosity. Roland stayed silent. “Roland. Speak.” Barbarus commanded. “Weak. Not worth killing.” Ice ran down Delta's spine hearing this. Only now did he realize that Roland had an aura, and it was stone cold. He began to understand why Roland was considered the champion and personal guard to Barbarus before this meeting, but even in their initial meeting he hadn’t felt the hulking warrior as he did now. “Bah!” Barbarus walked up to Roland. “Coward! If weak, just slaughter!” “Silence.” This, as well, was the first time Delta had heard anyone stand up to the king. “Barbarus coward. He preys on worms.” Words began to leave Delta's lips, but they were not allowed to form. “Leave. Ready maps.” Barbarus ordered and the magician obeyed. He then turned to Roland. “Ready dolls.” “No.” Roland squares up to Barbarus. The two stand in each other's face, prepared for whatever was about to happen. “Forest next.” “Roland not going. No glory there.” The two spoke like hunters stalking prey. Their eyes locked onto each other. “Glory? Conquer is glory!” “Greed.” Barbarus gave a sideways glance at the simple remark. “Barbarus only want more. Barbarus couldn't handle true conquer.” “Better than Roland. Roland blind and lazy!” The two brace themselves. Roland reached for his knife and Barbarus widened his stance. Each ready to prove that he isn't a coward. “Oh, I forgot one thing.” Delta reamerged. He paid no mind to the sight he walked in on. “There is a mild complication. A demon blocks the path.” This caught Roland's attention. “A wolf the size of a man. It is known to chew up any who tries to invade the forest.” With that said, he left. The two remaining look at each other. Silence, then disengagement. “Roland will go. But only to fight wolf.” Barbarus nods. “Afterwards, Barbarus alone.” Delta smiled while leaning against the wall, listening in. With everything in place he walks off to fulfil his obligations. Although he had hoped to learn more about these dolls. He had heard them discussed as an army, of sorts, but little information would be given to an outsider. “Roland will help fight after wolf.” Barbarus orders. No response is given beyond a dismissive grunt. The two head off to ready things on their end. Delta continued on through the barracks. The clay walls felt quaint compared to the wood and stone of his home. But there were so few people. If they are to wage wars, with what army do they possess? "You seem lost." A deep voice called out. One that had both echoed and been muffled. Delta looked behind him at a man in full armor. His features were completely hidden behind metal. At first, the only thought going through his mind was the unbearable heat that armor must have brought to its wearer. "Not all who wander are lost.” “Oh please. Your tricks won’t work on me. Those of us who wear masks are better at seeing through the masks of others, are we not?” The man in armor hit on something Delta hadn’t considered, but is normally true. Yet this man’s armor made it impossible for Delta to get a read on him. Staring from one mask into another. Is this what it felt like for others to approach him? “And what are you to do, then? Do you doubt me as Roland does?” Delta closed his arms and put a hand on the chin of his mask. “I do,” The armored man stepped closer to Delta, “But I intend to do nothing about those suspicions.” The gap between them had closed. What was once a distant conversation down a hallway had become one that could be misconstrued as a casual talk between friends. “Instead, I’ll answer your question. Surely you’ve noticed the lack of an army.” The knight gave Delta no time to answer beyond a simple nod. “If you are to snoop about, then I may as well show you.” “But why would you?” Delta’s question remained unanswered as the knight walked off. He was keen to follow, wandering through the empty barracks. One thing Delta had grown accustomed to was living without people. But this desert palace was something strange in and of itself. In the town proper people were abundant. People wandering from place to place taking care of their daily needs. It wasn’t too unlike Alto, he thought. But there was an eerie quiet once one had left the market and entered the palace. It was like only those close to Barbarus were allowed to be there. All signs say that this is where the bulk of their military should be. But only a few stray soldiers patrolled the palace, just the same as the few who patrol inside and atop the city walls. So then where is the army? “Feast your eyes, magician.” The knight held his hand out towards an array of strange, crystalline beings. Humanoids sitting on the ground, rolled into a fetal position. Delta lifted his mask briefly to make sure what his eyes saw was true, though he was careful to reveal his face to nobody. This was the army. A nesting ground of these strange, living crystals. “They are the greatest army one could ask for,” The knight began to explain, “Merciless, perfectly obedient, and they can be manufactured.” He turned towards Delta, who had already placed his mask back on. “You think you’re the only one with magic? These beings have been forged by us. They are our gift to Barbarus.” The knight clasped his hand on Delta’s shoulder. Leather met cloth as metal rattled from the otherwise soft impact. “Whatever it is you’re planning, this is what shall be used to execute it.” The knight left Delta in a daze, walking past him. He had other duties to attend. Enough time had been wasted as is. Delta could only gaze at these… things. Abhorrent abominations. Eventually he was able to look away, just long enough to check if anyone else was watching. With nobody around he decided to run a test. Green spiraled down one sleeve of his robes as he made a fist, and with a yell he raised it towards the sky, erecting a spike of earth through one of them. It pierced through and expanded the crystal, the spike poking out its head. “They can be broken.” He found himself thinking aloud as he turned around. They could be broken. This meant his plans were still on track. Something that needed to be planned for, but they could be broken. And as he walked away, it began to slowly regenerate.